NARA’S NOTEPAD
VOLUME 14
AUGUST 2018
NUMBER 8
SUPPORTED BY READERS LIKE YOU
Tuesday, July 31, 2018
MEMO FROM NARA
Countries have to think of good roads as the best infrastructure.
Developed countries of the world realized this long ago and paved good roads
all over. As a result, transportation increased and movement of goods and
people from one place to another was accelerated. Settlement of people came on
either side of those roads. Developing countries, by looking at those
developments started thinking about the good roads for their own economic
progress. Bad roads are there everywhere, paved or unpaved. Pot holes, speed
breakers, damages in patches, narrow ones are the status of roads in many
developing countries including India.
Allotment of budget for this vital sector is thought of only
recently to link north to south and east to west of India. Huge amounts of money
is required to make the already existing narrow roads to four lane ones. Mostly
the World Bank loans are availed for this purpose. Highways/motorways have to
be improved to the level of the ones we find in developed nations. They are
going to be the lifeline of a nation. Good roads have to be maintained frequently
to give a better service to the users. Bad roads cause fatal road accidents
very often. The traffic police take lots of measures to prevent road accidents.
If the roads are bad, they will be helpless to implement those measures.
Effective
steps have to be taken to lay good roads with signboards and proper lighting.
Design engineers are responsible for laying good roads for the country. The
system of construction through corrupt practice makes the proposal for good
roads, a mediocre one. Within a short period after the construction, the roads
become unusable, and such is the situation in most regions of our country –
India. There are experienced construction companies in India who laid very good
roadways in other countries, but they are generally ignored by the politicians.
They cannot get their required commission from such reputed companies.
Therefore the development is poor and our progress in road infrastructure is
retarded to a considerable extent. India being one of the important growing
giants in the world certainly needs good roads throughout the length and
breadth of the country. Four thousand years ago the ancient cities of
Mesopotamia was paved with stone. That was the first man-made roads.
Later,
Roman roads formed the most extensive network in Europe and Middle East. The
motorways of the 20th century are built on a firm, thick base of
pebbly material with a layer of concrete laid over top. Above this is a layer
of tar or rolled asphalt. Rubberized roads are also coming up in certain
regions in India. Even plastic wastes are also mixed with tar and applied on
the top of the road. Innovative road building techniques are invented and
applied wherever possible.
A country which managed with single lane roads for seventy
long years after independence realize today the necessity of this important
infrastructure on which many other developments depend. National highways
connecting various states help in interstate business, transportation of goods
and people. In fact, India is moving towards the dream of a developed nation.
While making good roads, there are many hurdles the country
has to face. Towns and cities have to be connected by roads of short distances.
So the interfering structures have to be removed or demolished. Sometimes
rivers have to be crossed, so bridges have to be constructed. The engineering
technologies have improved so much that constructing various kinds of bridges
is possible nowadays. Wide roads were made in town and cities, but the paved
roads are only half the width of the planned roads. Avenue trees occupy some
area on either side of the road. Similarly the electric and telephone poles
also take away some space. Unauthorized constructions like projection of roof
structures by the shops on either side steal away some space. As a result we
will be left with a narrow road in the cities for the vehicles to pass by. It
is really sad to see such bad roads in many parts of India. Every time the
local administration tries to remove the unauthorized occupations, there will
be resistance from the public who are affected. They go the extent of filing a
case against the administration in the court and stay the work. We know the
court takes its own time to clear such cases. Another set of people who get the
votes of these people also support them and will not allow the administration
to do its job. Thus road remains as it was. We have seen many times such sights
in every town. In a democratic country with about 40% illiterates, it becomes
difficult to interfere with peoples’ proper or improper activities. It is one
the reasons that India could not progress fast and reach the status of a
developed nation. With all these limitations, India has a hope to come up in
the Global level as a developed nation with good roads in the near future.
ARE YOU ADDICTED TO APPROVAL?
Signs
of being addicted to approval include:
1. You are very aware of the
expectations of others. They also affect how you feel about yourself.
2. You are constantly worried about how
others view you/ what they are thinking about you.
3. You choose NOT to do things that
others don’t approve of for fear of judgment and rejection.
4. You DO things you don’t want to do
as you fear others making fun or you, putting you down, or talking about it.
5. You feel anxious and upset if you
think you have upset or irritated someone – and desperately try to make things
right.
6. You think the views and opinions of
others are more informed and valuable than yours.
7. You agree when others criticize and
put you down. Then you start to attack and feel ashamed of yourself.
8. You reject yourself if other people
reject you, and basically believed that at core you are flawed.
TO QUOTE
v Life is a
tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long-shot. – Charlie Chaplin
v For every
‘inside’ there is an ‘outside’ and for every ‘outside’ there is an ‘inside’,
though they are different, they go together. - Allan Watts
v Life would
be tragic if it weren’t funny. - S . Hawking
JUST TO LAUGH
“This
gay came by trying to sell me a
talking dog for $10,” related the bartender
“I said, Get out of
here!”
But the dog said,
“Please, Sir, this man is mean to me; he never takes me for walks, hardly feeds
me, …’
I said, “Hey, he
really can talk. Why are you selling him for only $10?
The guy said, “I’m sick and tired of all his lies.”
When you wallpapered your lounge room,” Fred
said to Peter, “how many rolls did you buy? Our room is exactly the same size.”
“Twelve,” Peter
replied. About a fortnight later, Fred complained that he had six rolls left
over.
“I’m not surprised.” said Peter. “So have I.”
The lecturer had
reached one of his most telling points: “He who gives in when he’s wrong is
wise; but the man who gives in when he’s right is ---“ Married,” came a voice from the audience.
THINGS YOU NEED TO DO
1. The few things that aren’t going right.
– When things go wrong, take a moment to be thankful for all the other things
that are still going right. And if you’re struggling to be thankful for what
you have, be thankful for what you have escaped. Sometimes the best gifts in
life are the troubles you don’t have.
2. Trying to label everyone and everything.
– Sometimes you’ve just got to take people and situations for what they are,
appreciate them, and not try to label them or change them.
3. Worrying about what everyone else thinks.
– The minute you stop overwhelming your mind with caring about what everyone
else thinks, and start doing what you feel in your heart is right, is the
minute you will finally feel freedom.
4. Wasting time on the wrong people. – You
cannot make someone respect you; all you can do is be someone who can be
respected. No matter how much you care some people just won’t care back. At
some point you have to realize the truth – that they no longer care or never
did, and that maybe you’re wasting your time and missing out on someone else
who does.
5. Old wounds and grudges. – You will
never find peace until you learn to finally let go of the hatred and hurt that
lives in your heart. In order to move on, you must know why you felt the way
you did, and why you no longer need to feel that way. It’s about accepting the
past, letting it be, and pushing your spirit forward with good intentions.
6. Superficial judgments. –Every human
being is beautiful; it just takes the right set of eyes to see it.
7. Letting small disagreements snowball out of
control. – Don’t let a single poisonous moment of misunderstanding make you
forget about the countless lovable moments you’ve spent together.
8. Showing a lack of self-respect. –
Decide this minute to never again beg anyone for the love, respect, and
attention that you should be showing yourself. Choose to be your own best
friend.
LINES I LIKED
Ø Avoid
comparing yourself to others, that’s the fastest way to beat up on yourself!
Ø Avoid
growing tired in your thoughts and attitudes and keep your interest and
eagerness in every aspect of life at a high level
Ø Awareness is
the first step in transformation.
Sunday, July 1, 2018
SPONSOR
NARA’S
NOTEPAD
THANK
Sri. R. Padmanaban, M. Sc (Ag)
Consultant,
Tea
Plantations at Darjiling, Assam & Nepal
17/22 Titan
Township, Madhagiri, Hosur 635 110
Ph: 094431
42391
MEMO FROM NARA
While I go for my early morning or evening walk, I observe
many kinds of plants – big and small all along the way. One of the small
categories, about 50 to 100 cm tall green plants with full of tiny white
flowers does not escape my eyes. They are in thousands growing happily all
along the road and also in plots where no house is constructed so far.
Residential colonies are invaded by these plants which are called Parthenium causing diseases like
dermatitis and asthma. Along with this, many other unwanted plants grouped as
weeds also grow, flower and die. They are the annual plants botanically termed
as Parthenium hysterophorus and
popularly known as Congress Grass or Carrot Weed. It belongs to the botanical
family Asteracae.
It appears that Parthenium
is not native to India, but it came with the imported wheat as a mixture, when
the US sent wheat to India under PL 480 (Public Law 480 passed 1964 to give
food grains to developing countries) in 1956. However, this concept was
contradicted by some as not the real story because Parthenium was present in India even in 1951itself. Whatever may be
the source of this nasty weed, the tiny seeds spread throughout the country. In
general, weeds grow widely in waste lands, fields and field bunds. Controlling
them is a stupendous task for weed scientists and farmers. Parthenium is very difficult to eradicate. So far no single method appears to be
satisfactory.
Since the regeneration capacity of this weed is very high,
even the mechanical eradication like cutting or slashing did not work. Removal
by hand or hoe at the pre-flowering stage is one of the physical methods of
eradication recommended. But there are other methods too. Weed killing
chemicals are sprayed on the land to kill the weed seeds or on the
post-emergence stage of the weeds. One of the potent chemical used was the
sodium salt of 2,4–dichlorophenoxy acetic
acid popularly called 2,4–D which acts as a plant hormone at homeopathic
dose, whereas at high concentration it kills plants. Such chemicals are grouped
as herbicide or weedicide.
Large-scale usage of herbicides are followed at the US,
Australia and many other advanced countries but only limited quantity is being
used in developing countries like India. These herbicides are specific for
certain plant species. For example, dicot plants are generally susceptible to
all herbicides whereas the monocots – the grass family cannot be eradicated by
most of them. Fortunately, Parthenium
is a dicot plant amenable a variety of herbicides.
In fact, research to find out suitable chemicals for
eradicating weeds in cultivated fields as well as in waste land is being
extensively carried out in various agricultural universities and research
institutes. Even biological control measures and biotechnological techniques
are attempted to eradicate Parthenium. In
order to control this weed, awareness camps are being conducted regularly in
every colony as it has been done in villages for the farmers. Instructions are
given to the citizens for effectively controlling Parthenium.
I used to watch carefully the growth behavior of this weed.
At the onset of South West Monsoon, the plants emerge from the soil in rosette
form by spreading it leaves close to the ground without an elongated stem. Only
with the shower of rain, these plants look dark green as if we have applied
good amount of nitrogenous fertilizer. I do not know how they got such green
foliage. May be they mine the nutrients available in the waste-land. A month
afterwards, I used to observe them to put forth elongated stem which grow to
the size of about a meter with good number of branches with hundreds of tiny
flower buds. This process is technically known as bolting. Once the plants
reach such a stage, the pollen from the flowers fly in the air and animals and
humans happen to inhale them and end up in irritation of body and develop
allergy symptoms. I tried to pull out some of those plants which came up in
front of my house. Fortunately I did not get the allergy, when I enquired with
the weed specialists; they told me that it will affect only some susceptible
people. I was happy that Parthenium
is afraid of me.
Once the Parthenium
blooms, the seeds – thousands of them are carried by wind and spread all around
the place. The seeds settle on the dry soil and stay there, till another rain
soaks them. They remain dormant for a long period of time in the dry soil. So
it is evident that this weed remains as a menace for human beings. In
residential areas, to control this and other weeds, the only way comes to my
mind is to construct houses as soon as possible without leaving the plot
vacant. No other method is in sight for the time being to get rid of Parthenium
around the residential colony.
PEOPLE YOU NEED IN YOUR LIFE
The
Cheerleader: They cheer you on and believe in everything you do. When you mess up,
they don’t even bat an eye. They keep you focused on how to push through, and
are always on your side.
The
Pusher: A pusher is someone who pushes you to be the best you can be. The
pusher holds you accountable and doesn’t sit quietly when you goof up.
The
loyal confidant: This is the person who loves you and will always be there to hear
what’s on your mind; the good, bad and ugly. The loyal confidant not only
listens but knows that any slip-ups you have don’t define you.
The
Energizer: The energizer in your life will scoop you up and make you laugh when
times are rough, reminding you to stay motivated when you want to give up.
The
Best Friend: Your best friend is the one person that knows everything about you and
loves every bit of you anyway! They can look at you from across the room and
when you exchange looks know EXACTLY what you are thinking.
The
Funny (Crazy) Friend: Funny friends remind you not to take yourself seriously; they make
tense situations more comfortable with a single face gesture. These people
truly can change your outlook on your day with just a single call or text.
DAILY ACTS OF KINDNESS
v Say hello to everyone you
meet
v Give directions to someone
who’s lost
v Provide water to strays in
this heat
v Don’t interrupt when someone
is explaining herself
v Simply say “I’m sorry” when
wrong
v Let someone go in front of
you in line
v Hold open the door for
someone
v Compliment the first three
people you talk to today
v Buy a plant. Put it in a
terracotta pot. Write positive words that describe a friend on the pot. Give it
to that friend
v Everyone is important. Learn
the names of your office security guard, the person at the front desk and other
people you see every day
v Don’t write the angry comment
you’re thinking about on social media
v When everyone around you is
gossiping, be the one to be silent
v Cook a meal for someone
v Forgive someone, and never
bring up the issue again
JUST TO LAUGH
A man who
made a fortune almost overnight was boasting to one of his cronies about his
new estate with its three swimming pools, “but why three pools?” exclaimed the
friend. “One has cold water,” the host explained, “one has hot water, and one
has no water at all.” “One with cold water, I can understand. I can even see a
reason for one with hot water,” conceded the friend. “But what’s the idea of a
swimming pool with no water at all?” “You would be surprised, Joe,” the host
confided sadly, “how many of my old friends don’t know how to swim.”
CHANGING A NEGATIVE MOOD
1. Change your environment, or leave the room.
2. Switch your thinking, or redirect your thoughts
3. Go outside and get some exercise
4. Listen to the music that usually lifts your mood
5. Look at those old photographs that always make you laugh
6. Text or call a friend who’s really going through tough times
7. Be nice to a stranger – play it forward – and be kind.
LINES I LIKED
Ø Awareness is
the first step in transformation.
Ø Avoiding
mildly unpleasant tasks may eventually result in major problems or in the
failure to achieve some important goals.
Ø Avoid
disclosing too much of your personal life.
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